gal220RN

gal220RN BSN, RN

peds critical care, peds GI, peds ED

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All Content by gal220RN

  1. Help! I HATE my new job

    Okay: I need HELP! After over a decade in peds nursing, 7 in PICU, I have just changed hospitals due to a move. I have never encountered such a group of snobby, cold people in my entire life. This...
  2. I have had some questions burning in my mind over the past few months and would love some input from my PICU friends. Since I changed jobs to a PICU with a large cardiac population, I have seen some...
  3. New to the PICU world...so many ?'s!!!

    You are obviously thinking seriously about this transition and I congratulate you on that. Best wishes as you enter the PICU world. I will give you a few of my personal thoughts on your questions:...
  4. Duke question?......

    No, they hire new grads. But one question, why Duke? There are other great hospitals in the area. Check them all out before you make up your
  5. Durham area - recommendations on where to live?

    We live on the Durham/Orange County boarder- but technically in Durham Co. The schools are a problem, I am sad to say. However, Chapel Hill is much more expensive, so you will get less house or...
  6. salaries for duke and UNC hospitals

    Congrats on your new profession! I am sorry to report the salary ranges for new grads are not comparable to those in NJ. When I moved from another state in the southeast to NC with over a decade...
  7. Nurse Practitioners in the PICU

    After many years working as a bedside nurse, I entertained the idea of going back to school for my peds critical care PNP. I have worked in units where they are utilized aggressively in patient care,...
  8. physical restraint in picu

    Hi there! I my experience, we use both sedation/pain scores (RASS,FLACC,FACES) to assess the adequacy of our sedation/pain management. We also require any means of restraint (soft wrist, Welcome...
  9. Eating at the nurses' station

    In 15 years of nursing (all areas from ED to critical care) I have never eaten in a break room. I don't have a problem with those that do (you all probably have a much healthier digestive tract), but...
  10. Blood draws/SL on kids < 5 yo

    1 Before you even touch the kids, make sure you have EVERYTHING you need in mulitples in an organized fashion on a table, blue pad, easily visable. Open you alcohol wipes - lots, flush all your...
  11. Is This Ethical?

    As long as she acquired the immunizations legally according to the laws of her state, she is perfectly within her practicing rights as an RN to administer them. She should have notified dad of the...
  12. It sounds like an appropriate dosage of Tylenol, but written in a dangerous way that could be misunderstood. She should have either a scheduled dosage or prn, but not both. Ativan is purely for...
  13. Is it me, or...

    You will probably have to go to the RTP area and look at Duke or UNC. Both are good programs. Do you want to work in a hospital or
  14. Help! I HATE my new job

    Update on my post: As I am sitting here typing my update, I have come to realize my new career is as a Barista at Starbucks! What a happy job that would be! Nothing new to report, just more of the...
  15. EVD/ICP monitoring??

    I believe you are correct. In order to drain the EVD, the stopcock would have to be off to the transducer, in which case your numbers on your monitor would not reflect your true ICP. Did your nurse...
  16. Help! I HATE my new job

    Hi everyone: Sorry it has taken me so long to get back- I have been too busy having a nervous breakdown. I love your comments and encouragement. It is so amazing how much support you can get from a...
  17. Loving It!!!

    What wonderful, encouraging words. I hope you never loose your passion. You are the kind of person that will give nursing an excellent reputation for being a caring profession. Keep the kids at...
  18. Help! I HATE my new job

    Oh Jan- you are so wonderful and have an amazing capacity to do the right thing- I can hear the kindness flowing out of you. I am already out of orientation (4 weeks), so there has not been lots of...
  19. What do you use to take report? Do you have a standard sheet? I have seen nurses make their own specialized form on Word, including a time slot for each hours vital signs, I/O, meds due, prn's...
  20. Syringe pumps...what do you use them for

    If you tilt the syringe at a 45 degree angle, the fat will also fall with the rest of the milk. Been there are done
  21. Motor Mama: You know, I think it really depends on the situation. Trauma is much harder to deal with because of the suddeness and violence involved. Often there is not an opportunity for closure for...
  22. need help with bereavement committee

    kessadawn: What a beautiful idea for the huggy bears- I am going to pass it on We also have a very specific process for bereavement, including a lovely memory box. We include hand prints, locks of...
  23. The AACN occasionally has PICU specific articles, but not many. Maybe this is a sign more of us PICU folks need to be more proliferative in our professional writing and research. I know there has to...
  24. Syringe pumps...what do you use them for

    What makes PICU different from an adult ICU? I know this seems like a stupid question, but I think it helps focus the relevance of syringe pumps in a PICU setting. The concentration of continuous...
  25. Platelets and Plasma Question

    Your hospital should have blood administration policies for each type of product. Some blood banks pre-filter platelets, some do not. The previous writer is correct- platelets, factor, cyro, FFP can...